SPACEX ACTIVATES COMMUNICATION SYSTEM ABOARD INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

SPACEX ACTIVATES NEW COMMUNICATION SYSTEM ABOARD INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION FOR CONTROL OF UPCOMING DRAGON SPACECRAFT VISITS

Hawthorne, CA - March 29, 2010 – Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX)
announces the successful activation of its new Dragon spacecraft
communication hardware aboard the International Space Station (ISS)
during a series of operations conducted in January and March.

Dubbed the Commercial Orbital Transportation
Services (COTS) Ultra High Frequency (UHF) Communication Unit, the new
system will allow ISS crew members to monitor and command approaching
or departing Dragon spacecraft during cargo delivery missions to the
orbiting laboratory.

Space Shuttle Atlantis delivered the system hardware
to the ISS during mission STS-129 in November 2009. The on-orbit
checkout began January 25, 2010, when astronaut Jeff Williams, ISS
Expedition 22 Commander, worked with ground-based team members at
SpaceX headquarters and ISS mission control in Houston to power-up and
check out the new system.

On March 11, SpaceX and NASA Houston performed an
additional series of tests, using the new system to send communications
between the ISS and the NASA Dryden ground station. This provided a
baseline of the radio frequency performance and confirmed the first set
of antennas performed as expected and is ready for mission operations.
Additional testing is expected for a second set of antennas as well as
ongoing verification of the overall system.

"The success of this series of tests speaks to our
close collaboration with NASA as well as the SpaceX process that
allowed the rapid development of this new hardware," said Marco Villa,
SpaceX Mission Operations Manager. "Furthermore, the January tests
marked the first official joint operations between SpaceX Mission
Control in California, and NASA Mission Control in Houston. Everything
went smoothly, and we eagerly anticipate the upcoming Dragon visits to
the ISS."

Developed by SpaceX under a NASA Space Act
Agreement, the new system allows for communication between the ISS and
SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft while in the vicinity of the ISS. Its design
leverages the abilities of the ISS communication systems, providing
data exchange with ground-based mission control.

Designed from the beginning to transport crew,
SpaceX's Falcon 9 and Dragon spacecraft were selected by NASA to
transport cargo to and from the ISS starting in 2011. The $1.6B
contract represents 12 flights for a minimum of 20 tons to and from the
ISS. The first demonstration flights under the COTS program are
scheduled for 2010, following the inaugural launch of SpaceX's Falcon 9
rocket.

About SpaceX

SpaceX is developing a family of launch vehicles and spacecraft
intended to increase the reliability and reduce the cost of both manned
and unmanned space transportation, ultimately by a factor of ten. With
the Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 vehicles, SpaceX offers highly
reliable/cost-efficient launch capabilities for spacecraft insertion
into any orbital altitude and inclination. Starting in 2010, SpaceX's
Dragon spacecraft will provide Earth-to-LEO transport of pressurized
and unpressurized cargo, including resupply to the International Space
Station.

Founded in 2002, SpaceX is a private company owned
by management and employees, with minority investments from Founders
Fund and Draper Fisher Jurvetson. The SpaceX team now numbers more than
900, with corporate headquarters in Hawthorne, California. For more
information, please visit the company's web site at www.spacex.com.

Astronaut Jeff Williams, Expedition 22 Commander
(top) aboard the International Space Station, and engineers at SpaceX
Mission Control in Hawthorne, California, perform activation and
testing of SpaceX's new communications system for operations with
upcoming Dragon spacecraft resupply missions to the ISS. Credit: Roger
Gilbertson / SpaceX.

Astronaut Jeff Williams, Expedition 22
Commander, aboard the International Space Station with the
SpaceX-developed controller for the Dragon spacecraft communications
system. Credit: NASA.